Mental Health Awareness Month

May 17, 2005

The month of May has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Shelley Bishop will speak May 20 at the Church of the Brethren, next to the Somerset Hospital.

She will talk about recovery and her own experiences. Social hour will start at 6 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and then Bishop will present her speech.

Bishop is the executive assistant for Consumer and Family Issues to OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Joan Erney. OMHSAS stands for Office Mental Health Substance Abuse Services. In this role, Bishop is responsible for establishing relationships and providing technical assistance to consumer and family groups, as well as being involved in quality improvement initiatives with a focus on consumer/family satisfaction efforts to assist in building a recovery-oriented system in Pennsylvania.

Prior to coming to OMHSAS in January 2004, Bishop was the executive director of the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumer's Association for more than seven years.